Maurice Ashley was kind and smart, a former graduate returning to teach, and this job was no game for him: he meant business.

莫里斯·阿什利为人亲切又聪明，他是一名往届毕业生，现在回来教书了，而这份工作对他来说绝非儿戏：他是认真的。

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This time he wasn't fooling; he meant business.

这次他可不是闹着玩的， 他说到做到。

《新英汉大辞典》

I knew he meant business.

我知道他谈的是生意。

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Just to show they meant business they sent Pai one of her daughter's fingers.

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Such a red line, he insisted, was vital to show Tehran that the world meant business.

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Vallas showed he meant business when he threw out the custodians in defiance of the building trades union.

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